Or... "Work in Progress" - that was my other title. Seems the title I used is more happy and summarily whereas "Work in Progress" is positive, but has to be explained :-).
So... I haven't written in awhile. I needed a break - and maybe you did too. To be honest I was in a dark place for December and January. I had some stuff to work out, and I really didn't want to voice it here. Or maybe I couldn't - hence the "working out". Mostly mental stuff - in my head. And while I was having fun on the outside - returning from New York and seeing friends, then seeing family for Christmas and all... Well, on the inside I was a tornado. And it just took me awhile to come out of it. And I didn't want to be all negative on here necessarily.
But... I'm happy to report I'm out of it! I feel SO much better. And, well, I don't know if I can tell you why. There are reasons of course :-). But some of it just got figured out up there. It is about perspective, but I couldn't just snap my fingers and change mine. It took time. But I'm happy again! I'm smiley. And, as my title says - "Life is a Ride". It really is. I feel like I've been through so much and I wouldn't give up any of it. I am the person I am today through it all - because of it all, and everything I have experienced better prepares me for my interactions today, and in the future. I am still becoming the calm, happy, successful, healthy person I want to be, but I am her too. Hence, "work in progress". I've been talking to various people recently about this concept, this concept which I love. Like "When will I have it all figured out?" The answer is I won't, and I don't want to! See, that's the point of life for me, that and challenging myself. If I'm not growing, not pushing boundaries, not figuring it all out over again and redefining things, well, I wouldn't be happy. I'm always changing, I'm always discovering new things about the world, about people, about me. Accepting new input and mushing it into my "world model". And I love that. I always want to be figuring it out, to be challenging myself like that - to not feel static or stationary or "done". I love being a work in progress, and so - that's what I'll be. I'll let you know when to wear a hard hat when interacting with me ;-). But you don't need to often...
So, why the smiling? Well, first: Research. Research has been going well! And how much have I said that in the last 3 years? I love my new project, I can really get into it and sink my teeth in. I went and had a heart-to-heart with my advisor and told her "Listen - I really need this to work, and I need you to be really involved, because I'm at the end of a rope here", and she, well, she tried to step up anyway. Result was that we submitted a paper a couple of weeks ago. Although of course she was MIA the week of the deadline because she was visiting Australia, I was so proud of the paper, of being able to submit, of having work I was proud of and worked hard on! It was just a relief. And I really do think this stuff is going to be my thesis. Let's hope so! Then another FABULOUS thing in research - I GOT THE NSF AWARD TO RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA this summer! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. Not only do I get paid to go live in Australia, but I get a bonus on my resume as well! And I get to work with an awesome researcher in Australia (who's sometimes better than my advisor). Plus - you know I'm gonna travel down there. So, yippee for life's opportunities - the ride of life.
Second: Exercise. YOu know I love it. Since the 2nd week in January I've been exercising 2 hours per day Mon-Thursday and then more on weekends. It's a hard schedule, but I'm so proud of myself! I've been losing weight again, and eating well and being healthy. I have been loving Kung Fu. And I love my Coached Swim class where our coach kicks our butt, but it's worth it. Did I tell you that now I swim a mile or more every time I go swim (twice a week)? Remember last summer when I swam a mile for the first time!! Upwards, baby - only way to go! Then, of course, more running and biking (with Aunt Janelle's awesome road bike). And I started a tennis club with friends on weekends, so I'm doing that again. And sometimes hiking. I'm a glutton, really! And it's nice just to be in 1 place and have a schedule and not worry so much about future plans or trips. Ah :-).
Thirdly, but not lastly: People. YOu've heard me say it before - I love people. They make me joyful in life, and they are almost the only thing that does. And, well, they are awesome. I really do feel like I have a family here. I love the house I live in (despite some of Tom's control issues). I'm really bonding with roommates lately (despite new guy). I have brought some Austin friends closer which is awesome. They are really there for me. And I mourn my friends who I hang out with sometimes who might be gone when I get back from Australia. But I do have close bonds here, and for that I'm happy. I am fulfilled. It really is a simple equation. But... to be honest about the smiling, really - I have to tell you that a boy is involved. Now, don't get all excited - I'm just dating, but it's nice to be dating again. It's nice to get nervous when he calls, or wonder what he's thinking or try and figure someone new out or look forward to spending time with someone. Someone cool and sweet. So :-). Giddy - I'm smiling now just writing. Just a dash of excitement, eh? After all, girls just want to have fun! Unchartered territory, and scary, but fun. And worth it. :-).
Oh yeah and another thing - I love my city. I love Austin, love being outside in it. Love what it offers. I've got this whole "microcosm/macrocosm" thing going in my head. Get to know your house, your neighborhood, your city, your state, your country, your continent, and the world. Sure, you can only do what you can. But walk/bike your city - get to know it. Then get to know the world, too. All the different levels are worth it!
So, that is me right now. That is life. I'm living it up, living in the moment, feeling happy. I have things to look forward to. I have "blessings" to be grateful for. I'm happy to be me, to be where I am. To be a "work in progress".
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Christmas in the Desert - Discovering New Realms
BTW, family news in BOLD below...
Where to begin with thoughts swirling in my head? Here are some Jenn quotes to start you off:
I feel like I'm "viewing the world again with my eyes open".
"Being alone does not make me lonely; being with people does."
And an interesting fact:
Between November 20 and December 26 (5 weeks), I slept for at least a week in each of the 4 time zones in the US. I'm crazy!
So here I am, in the Phoenix airport traveling back home to Austin. Definitely going home. Arizona isn't my home anymore. It feels a bit foreign. Ah, the desert is beautiful though. But this particular desert is very spread out, and very dry. Those are the parts I dislike a lot. My face started flaking even though I lotioned it twice a day. And the space seems like such a waste after New York! Intersections with 5 lanes going each way that it takes 5 minutes to get through. Maybe because I was staying in Paradise Valley and driving down to Chandler pretty often did I notice how spread out this city really is. But geez man! But oh the mountains are pretty, and the sun shines very bright. But did you know temperatures are colder in the desert? Sure, it's warmer, but I swear because of the lack of moisture in the air, 70 in the desert really does warrant a jacket whereas in New York it didn't.
So, I spent from Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, staying with my Grandpa's cousin (who is really cool), visiting some high school friends, and spending time with my Dad (aka his wife's family). I had fun. I exercised everyday and ate well. I saw my friends new baby - a 5 day old! I had lunch with my old friend. I went on a walk with a 10 month old. I went bowling and got my best score (if my memory serves): 138! Although the bumpers helped :-). Yeah, so quiet, but fun. I loved the morning ritual at Jonae's house: a bowl of cut up fruit and nuts and raisins with fresh orange (from their tree) juice squeezed on.
Then Sunday afternoon to Thursday afternoon was spent in Tucson (with the long, familiar drive in between the 2 cities) with my brother and his wife. Met up with Mom and Bruce as well. And I sorta explicitly didn't want to be a tourist here - just wanted to be with family. In Tucson we played with the dog Boo a lot (center of Matt and Toni's universe), hiked up Sabino Canyon, played games, ate, did presents, went to the Pima Air and Space Museum to see old planes (cool), saw a movie - "I Am Legend" which was a bit disappointing, and played on the Wii!! I tried tennis, bowling, the bunny dance game, the new Mario game, and DDR! Good fun. The neat thing about this visit also was that
MY BROTHER IS EXPECTING!
Ok, so his wife is pregnant and due July 10th, 2008!! I can't believe it. :-). I can, but I can't too - my brother said he'd never have kids. But it'll be super exciting for them, and for the family!
So, I feel like I'm re-experiencing the world now with my eyes open. Don't particularly remember my eyes being closed before, but I feel so much more aware, so much more like I'm gathering knowledge. I am understanding family members more, and thus myself more. I understand a few more dimensions of my parents now that I spent some time with them. And it was really interesting to see my brother and his wife interact. They are really good together - a good pair, despite some of my brother's oddities :-). And I saw Jonae and Don - my grandfather's cousin and her husband. They are also very good together, although very different people. It was cute to see them interact, and have each of them fulfill their particular duties of the relationship. And know the failings of each other, but deal with them well. So I came up with this way of thinking of things: realms. Everyone lives in their own realm. And I have been traveling between other people's realms and discovering their cultures. The cultures of houses, of people-units. I go to my friend's houses, and I'm let into their world. And I experience that - what they have in the fridge, what entertainment they choose to participate in. Their sphere of life. They let me in to experience their realm, and I gather information. How people interact, expectations, norms. You can glean a lot from staying with people. And not all of it can be put into words - it's just an understanding. And you can use that understanding to interact better with these people. But sometimes it's elucidates things about yourself too - your own norms or differences. I have some baseline realm, but mine is floating. Mine involves exercise everyday and reading before I go to bed. But as far as a home realm - I don't feel I have one. And I want one. I love gathering knowledge, but I'm tired now. I want my own sphere, my own comfort zone. Wouldn't it be nice if I could invite people over to my home? They could experience my norms? Learn about me? But right now - I'm the nomad, the adaptive one. I go out, seeking things for myself. But seldom do people come in. I miss a realm. And while I have my own cultures and things I like to do, one of my primary things it making other people happy. So, my realm at its best involves another person to help form it. I miss it. I don't want to just experience other people's realms. I want my own. And, through the end of Manhattan and even now... I have this sense of waiting. I'm waiting for my life to really begin. I'm in an interim - just filling time. Waiting... Waiting is tiring.
Where to begin with thoughts swirling in my head? Here are some Jenn quotes to start you off:
I feel like I'm "viewing the world again with my eyes open".
"Being alone does not make me lonely; being with people does."
And an interesting fact:
Between November 20 and December 26 (5 weeks), I slept for at least a week in each of the 4 time zones in the US. I'm crazy!
So here I am, in the Phoenix airport traveling back home to Austin. Definitely going home. Arizona isn't my home anymore. It feels a bit foreign. Ah, the desert is beautiful though. But this particular desert is very spread out, and very dry. Those are the parts I dislike a lot. My face started flaking even though I lotioned it twice a day. And the space seems like such a waste after New York! Intersections with 5 lanes going each way that it takes 5 minutes to get through. Maybe because I was staying in Paradise Valley and driving down to Chandler pretty often did I notice how spread out this city really is. But geez man! But oh the mountains are pretty, and the sun shines very bright. But did you know temperatures are colder in the desert? Sure, it's warmer, but I swear because of the lack of moisture in the air, 70 in the desert really does warrant a jacket whereas in New York it didn't.
So, I spent from Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon in Phoenix, staying with my Grandpa's cousin (who is really cool), visiting some high school friends, and spending time with my Dad (aka his wife's family). I had fun. I exercised everyday and ate well. I saw my friends new baby - a 5 day old! I had lunch with my old friend. I went on a walk with a 10 month old. I went bowling and got my best score (if my memory serves): 138! Although the bumpers helped :-). Yeah, so quiet, but fun. I loved the morning ritual at Jonae's house: a bowl of cut up fruit and nuts and raisins with fresh orange (from their tree) juice squeezed on.
Then Sunday afternoon to Thursday afternoon was spent in Tucson (with the long, familiar drive in between the 2 cities) with my brother and his wife. Met up with Mom and Bruce as well. And I sorta explicitly didn't want to be a tourist here - just wanted to be with family. In Tucson we played with the dog Boo a lot (center of Matt and Toni's universe), hiked up Sabino Canyon, played games, ate, did presents, went to the Pima Air and Space Museum to see old planes (cool), saw a movie - "I Am Legend" which was a bit disappointing, and played on the Wii!! I tried tennis, bowling, the bunny dance game, the new Mario game, and DDR! Good fun. The neat thing about this visit also was that
MY BROTHER IS EXPECTING!
Ok, so his wife is pregnant and due July 10th, 2008!! I can't believe it. :-). I can, but I can't too - my brother said he'd never have kids. But it'll be super exciting for them, and for the family!
So, I feel like I'm re-experiencing the world now with my eyes open. Don't particularly remember my eyes being closed before, but I feel so much more aware, so much more like I'm gathering knowledge. I am understanding family members more, and thus myself more. I understand a few more dimensions of my parents now that I spent some time with them. And it was really interesting to see my brother and his wife interact. They are really good together - a good pair, despite some of my brother's oddities :-). And I saw Jonae and Don - my grandfather's cousin and her husband. They are also very good together, although very different people. It was cute to see them interact, and have each of them fulfill their particular duties of the relationship. And know the failings of each other, but deal with them well. So I came up with this way of thinking of things: realms. Everyone lives in their own realm. And I have been traveling between other people's realms and discovering their cultures. The cultures of houses, of people-units. I go to my friend's houses, and I'm let into their world. And I experience that - what they have in the fridge, what entertainment they choose to participate in. Their sphere of life. They let me in to experience their realm, and I gather information. How people interact, expectations, norms. You can glean a lot from staying with people. And not all of it can be put into words - it's just an understanding. And you can use that understanding to interact better with these people. But sometimes it's elucidates things about yourself too - your own norms or differences. I have some baseline realm, but mine is floating. Mine involves exercise everyday and reading before I go to bed. But as far as a home realm - I don't feel I have one. And I want one. I love gathering knowledge, but I'm tired now. I want my own sphere, my own comfort zone. Wouldn't it be nice if I could invite people over to my home? They could experience my norms? Learn about me? But right now - I'm the nomad, the adaptive one. I go out, seeking things for myself. But seldom do people come in. I miss a realm. And while I have my own cultures and things I like to do, one of my primary things it making other people happy. So, my realm at its best involves another person to help form it. I miss it. I don't want to just experience other people's realms. I want my own. And, through the end of Manhattan and even now... I have this sense of waiting. I'm waiting for my life to really begin. I'm in an interim - just filling time. Waiting... Waiting is tiring.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Vulnerabilities
So, I do intend to continue blogging, but it might be more sparse. Maybe I should blog more often and with fewer words, but my style tends to be deep and verbose instead. We will see.
So... I am back in Austin. My HOME. I cannot tell you what that has meant to me - what I have discovered that means to me because I spent so long away from it. Although I can feel isolated (see later paragraphs), I am not really alone here. I MATTER here. People care about me. People smile to see me, notice when I'm sad, notice when I'm gone. I have a family here, although no one I'm related to. I feel very close to people, and it's getting closer and I love it. Just warmth, goodness. I need a new word - something like pervasive love, but not romantic love, just people love. Damn the English language not having more words for love :-).
So, I have done some wonderful things these last 2 weeks back. I won't tell you about all of them - now I'm going to focus on feelings. But suffice it to say that I ate very few meals alone. Friends are awesome. I did the several things I really wanted to do upon coming back to Austin - hike, haircut, massage, and the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park. I continue to swim, and now a mile isn't so tough - it's the normal workout :-). I took my bike for a spin last weekend up and down Shoal Creek which was fun despite the whipping cold wind. And I played tennis this morning with Mike which was awesome and I am really going to get back into tennis now (that's the plan). I'm BACK, in short, and having fun!
But... more about self discovery. I've been doing a lot of talking with friends. Deep talking. A few of us came to the conclusion that to be close to people, you have to expose your vulnerabilities to them. Really. What drives people to be close in general? What makes 2 friends best friends? What makes relationship partners so intimate? Exposing some part of yourself - showing your vulnerabilities, your under belly. You share your secrets, things you worry about. Sure, there's some amount of shared experiences, too, but these serve to exhibit your good and bad qualities to your friends more. So, how do you make close friends? You have to open up - open yourself up and share something deep with them, something maybe a little scary or embarrassing. Then, they usually respond and know more about you, and open up in kind. So I've been having this more deeper talks with friends. And, while it's sometimes exhausting - sort of like a relationship - it's so worth it in the end. I feel more emotionally close to my friends. Sometimes it makes me vulnerable - maybe a little dependent on them. But as long as I keep things in mind, it's really rewarding. And seeing how different people are, and how they respond differently to things, or how they work differently is so interesting to me! So I do thrive on it. I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot about me, too - I tend to shelter myself somewhat, to protect myself. To curl up into a ball - physically and emotionally, when I feel threatened. But, people can get me out of that ball too. Caring goes a long way. And boy do I compartmentalize things. Separate things or people or experiences in my head. Maybe it's some rationalization or coping mechanism. It's very interesting. I didn't know other people don't do this! Or at least find it exhausting. Another thing I'm good at :-).
Recently I had some one on one time with Justin. We've never had that before, and it was mostly because I didn't understand his way of operating. He's not a big feeling-talker, he hates redundancy, and is pretty blunt. But we went to the Trail of Lights together. BTW, my favorite part was getting dizzy spinning under the big tree of lights. Awesome :-). But it was actually fabulous to have a deeper life talk with Justin. He showed care and concern and wanted to be closer to me. And I was glad because I really appreciated that, and enjoyed talking to him. I understand him a lot better now - I can incorporate his different personality into my understanding. So I'm happy about the bonding. I can have close male friends!
Although, with all of my break-throughs, I recently (last weekend) freaked out. I know why I freaked out, and I am justified. Unfortunately it happened at a party - I had to sit on the stairs and cry for awhile. But friends were there. But what I realized is that I shouldn't be with my friends. Let me 'splain. I had just come from a happy hour (or several hours) celebrating 2 friend's engagement. I went to a Karaoke party at another friend's house where everyone was coupled but me (I'm pretty sure). And the fact that all of my friends are engaged, married, or having babies just got to me. It's not that I don't think I can find someone wonderful for me. It's not that I don't believe I'm wonderful. It's that, even with all the awesome friends that I have, at the end of the day I go home alone and don't have that person to dump on or feel intimate with. Even that, actually, is fine. It's actually that no one else is where I am, to share my experience of trying to date at 27. Actually most of my friends haven't even dated post-college. They don't know what it's like - they can't relate! They are set for life without this uncertainty. I'm the one who has to go out and meet people again and try to be gregarious (even though I want to be curmudgeony and not meet new people). I'm the one who needs to stop hanging out with my friends (who are all known and paired) so I can actually do new activities and meet new people. And I'm the one who isn't exactly at the point in life which I wanted to be at by now. So, while some experiences can be shared, I can still feel isolated from those around me. And that makes me sad. I have worked through it now, and I feel better. And I feel better hanging out with my roommates who are older and single(ish). And I am hanging out with Mary more - Mary is awesome. Kung Fu friend who is around 32 and single. She reminds me of my sister sometimes :-). So, I'll make it. There are some hard times, but I'm strong, I'm optimistic. I'm still having a ton of fun.
And btw, I finally had time this last weekend to re-organize my room! I unpacked 5 boxes and 2.5 suitcases to put my room back together. So my room isn't a cyclone anymore, and it's great to feel I have my space back! I do love my room, my house, my living situation. Fun Austin living.
Alrighty - off to Arizona for Christmasy stuff. Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night.
So... I am back in Austin. My HOME. I cannot tell you what that has meant to me - what I have discovered that means to me because I spent so long away from it. Although I can feel isolated (see later paragraphs), I am not really alone here. I MATTER here. People care about me. People smile to see me, notice when I'm sad, notice when I'm gone. I have a family here, although no one I'm related to. I feel very close to people, and it's getting closer and I love it. Just warmth, goodness. I need a new word - something like pervasive love, but not romantic love, just people love. Damn the English language not having more words for love :-).
So, I have done some wonderful things these last 2 weeks back. I won't tell you about all of them - now I'm going to focus on feelings. But suffice it to say that I ate very few meals alone. Friends are awesome. I did the several things I really wanted to do upon coming back to Austin - hike, haircut, massage, and the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park. I continue to swim, and now a mile isn't so tough - it's the normal workout :-). I took my bike for a spin last weekend up and down Shoal Creek which was fun despite the whipping cold wind. And I played tennis this morning with Mike which was awesome and I am really going to get back into tennis now (that's the plan). I'm BACK, in short, and having fun!
But... more about self discovery. I've been doing a lot of talking with friends. Deep talking. A few of us came to the conclusion that to be close to people, you have to expose your vulnerabilities to them. Really. What drives people to be close in general? What makes 2 friends best friends? What makes relationship partners so intimate? Exposing some part of yourself - showing your vulnerabilities, your under belly. You share your secrets, things you worry about. Sure, there's some amount of shared experiences, too, but these serve to exhibit your good and bad qualities to your friends more. So, how do you make close friends? You have to open up - open yourself up and share something deep with them, something maybe a little scary or embarrassing. Then, they usually respond and know more about you, and open up in kind. So I've been having this more deeper talks with friends. And, while it's sometimes exhausting - sort of like a relationship - it's so worth it in the end. I feel more emotionally close to my friends. Sometimes it makes me vulnerable - maybe a little dependent on them. But as long as I keep things in mind, it's really rewarding. And seeing how different people are, and how they respond differently to things, or how they work differently is so interesting to me! So I do thrive on it. I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot about me, too - I tend to shelter myself somewhat, to protect myself. To curl up into a ball - physically and emotionally, when I feel threatened. But, people can get me out of that ball too. Caring goes a long way. And boy do I compartmentalize things. Separate things or people or experiences in my head. Maybe it's some rationalization or coping mechanism. It's very interesting. I didn't know other people don't do this! Or at least find it exhausting. Another thing I'm good at :-).
Recently I had some one on one time with Justin. We've never had that before, and it was mostly because I didn't understand his way of operating. He's not a big feeling-talker, he hates redundancy, and is pretty blunt. But we went to the Trail of Lights together. BTW, my favorite part was getting dizzy spinning under the big tree of lights. Awesome :-). But it was actually fabulous to have a deeper life talk with Justin. He showed care and concern and wanted to be closer to me. And I was glad because I really appreciated that, and enjoyed talking to him. I understand him a lot better now - I can incorporate his different personality into my understanding. So I'm happy about the bonding. I can have close male friends!
Although, with all of my break-throughs, I recently (last weekend) freaked out. I know why I freaked out, and I am justified. Unfortunately it happened at a party - I had to sit on the stairs and cry for awhile. But friends were there. But what I realized is that I shouldn't be with my friends. Let me 'splain. I had just come from a happy hour (or several hours) celebrating 2 friend's engagement. I went to a Karaoke party at another friend's house where everyone was coupled but me (I'm pretty sure). And the fact that all of my friends are engaged, married, or having babies just got to me. It's not that I don't think I can find someone wonderful for me. It's not that I don't believe I'm wonderful. It's that, even with all the awesome friends that I have, at the end of the day I go home alone and don't have that person to dump on or feel intimate with. Even that, actually, is fine. It's actually that no one else is where I am, to share my experience of trying to date at 27. Actually most of my friends haven't even dated post-college. They don't know what it's like - they can't relate! They are set for life without this uncertainty. I'm the one who has to go out and meet people again and try to be gregarious (even though I want to be curmudgeony and not meet new people). I'm the one who needs to stop hanging out with my friends (who are all known and paired) so I can actually do new activities and meet new people. And I'm the one who isn't exactly at the point in life which I wanted to be at by now. So, while some experiences can be shared, I can still feel isolated from those around me. And that makes me sad. I have worked through it now, and I feel better. And I feel better hanging out with my roommates who are older and single(ish). And I am hanging out with Mary more - Mary is awesome. Kung Fu friend who is around 32 and single. She reminds me of my sister sometimes :-). So, I'll make it. There are some hard times, but I'm strong, I'm optimistic. I'm still having a ton of fun.
And btw, I finally had time this last weekend to re-organize my room! I unpacked 5 boxes and 2.5 suitcases to put my room back together. So my room isn't a cyclone anymore, and it's great to feel I have my space back! I do love my room, my house, my living situation. Fun Austin living.
Alrighty - off to Arizona for Christmasy stuff. Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Christmas in NYC Pictures
More pictures! (See last post for others).
Union Square all snowy:
Rockefeller Center:
And the rest...
Pretty NYC
Union Square all snowy:
Rockefeller Center:
And the rest...
Pretty NYC
Pictures of my crazy Union Square Apartment
HI! So life is crazy, I am busy and happy and enjoying Austin SO much! My friends are awesome :-). And swimming and Kung Fu are awesome. It's good to be back.
FYI - I am in Arizona for Christmas Dec 19 - Dec 28. I am really happy about going to see friends and family there!
So in the meantime I've been organizing pictures. I wanted to post some of the last crazy apartment I lived in in New York City by Union Square. Put some pictures to the words :-).
My bedroom, the big room:
Big room plus kitchen:
The room with the skylight and door on the right goes to the bathroom:
The big room's radiator:
My roomate's larger radiator:
If you want to see more:
16th St. Apartment
FYI - I am in Arizona for Christmas Dec 19 - Dec 28. I am really happy about going to see friends and family there!
So in the meantime I've been organizing pictures. I wanted to post some of the last crazy apartment I lived in in New York City by Union Square. Put some pictures to the words :-).
My bedroom, the big room:
Big room plus kitchen:
The room with the skylight and door on the right goes to the bathroom:
The big room's radiator:
My roomate's larger radiator:
If you want to see more:
16th St. Apartment
Sunday, December 9, 2007
I am loved
Hi - so I owe you a blog. Whoever you are. Which, I've found out since I've been back is more people than I expected :-).
So, oh my God has Austin been good to me. I love this city, I love my people in it, I really am loved. One friend even apologized that they were out of town when I got back and couldn't welcome me back in person! I have awesome friends. And I needed to communicate that. Wow, do I feel loved. After all the hardships and growing and adventuring of New York - the ease of Austin is just what I needed. Given I will always love my time in New York and be nostalgic about it. But... Austin is where the heart is. I have not had a meal yet without being with a good friend. And actually, I think that will continue until at least Wednesday :-). And I know I'm geeky, but going to the grocery store Thursday and doing laundry today - first time ever that they are fun! I can stock up (being in 1 place for awhile and having a kitchen)! And drive my car (first time in 6 months)! And have everything be at my finger tips! Everything is just twice as easy here. And so many people to talk to and to have fun with. Ah - happy sighs.
But let me rewind a bit to Monday and replay a bit for you. Because that's who I am :-). Sorry the posts can be long - I will get better at that!
Monday - my last day at IBM. Unfortunately my carpool guy was sick and I had to take the train to work for the first time ever from Grand Central! Bummer - I was sad to not say goodbye to my carpool guy. But I did go out with him last week and give him a bottle of wine as a present... So anyway. Had my last day, with a good meeting at the end of it (and exercise of course). Then at night, despite my sickness, I went to Rockefeller Center to check out ice skating. I figured Monday night wouldn't be AS crowded, and I was right! I only waited like 10 minutes to get in, and I was at the start of the 8:30-10 slot. I paid a slightly obscene amount ($25) and got my skates. Went around the ice the first time, and thought I'd skate for like 5 minutes and be done! Was very shakey. Had some nice ladies on the side take pictures of me :-). Chatted with the lady from Miami and the Grandma from Vermont. But then I skated, and I got the hang of it. It was fabulous! I even danced a bit to the music and was able to dodge skaters who were really novice or bad. I got better and better as I went, and just enjoyed the holiday scene - being under the huge tree. Very magical. I skated until right before time was up, and didn't fall!... except on my very last go round, a boy ran into me from behind full force and took my legs out from under me. I was a little annoyed, but he said he was trying to avoid a baby. Oh well. So I had a great skating time! Then went home and decided to get comfort food for my cold. Went down to a cool homey place down the road - Chat and Chew. I had been there before, and sat at the bar again because the same bartender was there and we had fun chatting. So I had a fabulous chicken pot pie and hot cider and chatted with him about life, travel, living in Europe, football which was on TV. When he asked me what I do, I said "Computer Science". I got the regular answer - "You don't look like a Computer Scientist." I always figure it's because of the boobs that people say that, so I didn't expect different here. But he surprised me. He offer instead what I should be: A TEACHER! He said I had a pleasant face, a patient and friendly demeanor, a nice way of talking and listening. He thought I should be a teacher. So it's settled:
I AM MEANT TO BE A TEACHER BECAUSE THE BARTENDER TOLD ME SO!
I was surprised that he got me pretty quickly. It was refreshing :-). And of course, now that I was leaving New York, I found a friend. But finally I did have to go home and pack up the rest of my stuff! Which wasn't actually that bad. The next morning I took my box to be mailed to myself, and it was actually a nice bright day with even some snow flurries - ah. Got an everything bagel as my last New York meal :-). And said goodbye to the Empire State Building. My kooky roommate actually helped me bring all my suitcases downstairs to get the Super Shuttle. She wasn't so bad after all :-). Always somehow I had unexpected help just when I needed it in New York :-).
On the way out (after delays because of weather), I had a magnificent view of Manhattan, my city. It was time to leave, but she was still beautiful and I watched the view until I couldn't anymore. All the tall buildings, and the Empire STate Building and the Chrysler building. And Central Park. So beautiful. And I loved how when the plane got exactly north of the city, all the avenues were strips of either red, white, or red and white lights. Cracked me up that not only could you see exactly which avenues were one way north or south, but that the grid was obvious from the sky. So, I said goodbye to New York. I actually went Tuesday to Chicago, which was having a huge snow storm. It was beautiful in Chicago - all white. I spent the evening there hanging out with Naveen, actually. We had a nice time. That is all I'll say here, but if you want more information, talk to me in person :-). Then I stayed with my aunt that night, and winged off to Austin Wednesday (with more delays).
So, I got home to Austin! You already know I cried when I got here. I was emotional :-). I was met by good friend Negin who gave me a ride home. Then the first thing I wanted to do was go to Kung Fu, so I did (despite my cold). And I got a Cheers welcome when I went! "Jenn!" Got tons of hugs and "How was New York?"s. Maybe that's why I wanted to go there :-). It was fabulous to be back and with friends. I went to advanced Kung Fu class, and the warmup kicked my butt, but I was so into the regular class. My body just said "yep, I remember this" and loved it. Fun. I'm still a black sash! Then went to dinner with Tom, Mary, and Mary's daughter Daria at Hyde Park. So fun to be with friends again - my family here! They were so appreciative of me. And I them. You know the saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? Well, totally true here. Totally.
Thursday I went to school and I couldn't get a free 20 minutes! So many nice visits from friends, and welcome backs! And invites to do stuff... Good times. In the afternoon I went swimming - yay back to swimming! - with 2 friends in the CS department. They go twice a week, and now I'll join them. And let me just say, Austin is warm and sunny and beautiful. Even though I didn't remember my room exactly, the city itself is familiar to me, even if it takes a minute to recall :-). So we swam outside in warm weather - 80 degrees! - and I swam A MILE! With the cold! Was so impressed by myself. :-). Love being back to swimming. Of course doing a mile took me 54 minutes, but it was good. Then went out to dinner with Maria and caught up. Talked about eating healthy and doing fun adventure multi-sport races and all. Life is good again :-). And I ate Tex Mex - yay! Then afterwards I was excited to go grocery shopping! And do a load of laundry! :-). It became easier :-).
Friday went into school again. Went out to lunch with good friend Harry and had fun catching up. It's interesting to hear where friends are - what has changed. And how people more more towards graduation. No - people can't leave! And what's up with (not Harry) people having babies?! Wigging me out. People growing up and all. But good times. Got some work done that afternoon, then went to the gym. Then home to be ready for dinner with friends Justin, Carol, Negin and Greg! We tried a new Greek place, and had fun catching up. I talked a lot - told them about my research sagas. Felt slightly bad about being all jaded about things, but that's how it is I guess. It was nice to just have friends who listen again :-). Then we went and did a fun craft project at Negin's while waiting for a party to begin. We went to a party late - probably didn't get there until close to midnight. So stayed late there, and didn't get a lot of sleep Friday night. But the party was fun! Saw some old friends, but 1/2 the CS people I didn't know. Feel old school :-). Drank some champagne and hot cider (spiked) and saw people do the mentos and diet Coke trick, and try to shoot champagne corks farther. So, pretty fun.
Saturday I had to get up a little early to go hiking - but the hike was great! I wore pants and was hot - it was a nice sunny day. Went to Pedernalles Falls - beautiful area. Nice little creeks and springs to take breaks next to, and a nice trail with bright green bushes around. Some nice views as we hiked on the side of a hill and could see across the hill country beyond. So much space here! And so pretty! Saw the big river too - just calm, quiet and nice hike. Then came home and got ready for dinner with a Kung Fu friend. Hadn't really hung out with him outside of class before, but he's been a good friend to me. And we had fun catching up at Kerbey Lane! Talking about relationship stuff and Kung Fu of course :-). He's really into self-awareness, and improving oneself and giving off good energy, being supportive. It was nice. Then went to join his friends for "Golden Compass" movie which was cool adventure movie, but basically ended making you wait for the next movie where the saga continues. So we went to Spiderhouse and I met some of Alan's friends there. They are all people who meditate and give off friendly, good vibes. Neat people. Really like giving off positive vibes, and bettering oneself, so it felt good. I'm working towards understanding, and it's all good :-).
Today - Sunday. More time with friends! Slept a lot, but then got up and went to lunch with Mary from Kung Fu who is just an awesome person. We chatted a lot, and she's so good at understanding. Again, loved :-). And now I'm enjoying doing laundry at home! Funny that. It's always the small things :-). Eventually I will have to clean up my cyclone of a room...
So, that's my saga! I'm home and loving it. And the adventures, except of a different nature, continue. Happy December all!
*Love*
So, oh my God has Austin been good to me. I love this city, I love my people in it, I really am loved. One friend even apologized that they were out of town when I got back and couldn't welcome me back in person! I have awesome friends. And I needed to communicate that. Wow, do I feel loved. After all the hardships and growing and adventuring of New York - the ease of Austin is just what I needed. Given I will always love my time in New York and be nostalgic about it. But... Austin is where the heart is. I have not had a meal yet without being with a good friend. And actually, I think that will continue until at least Wednesday :-). And I know I'm geeky, but going to the grocery store Thursday and doing laundry today - first time ever that they are fun! I can stock up (being in 1 place for awhile and having a kitchen)! And drive my car (first time in 6 months)! And have everything be at my finger tips! Everything is just twice as easy here. And so many people to talk to and to have fun with. Ah - happy sighs.
But let me rewind a bit to Monday and replay a bit for you. Because that's who I am :-). Sorry the posts can be long - I will get better at that!
Monday - my last day at IBM. Unfortunately my carpool guy was sick and I had to take the train to work for the first time ever from Grand Central! Bummer - I was sad to not say goodbye to my carpool guy. But I did go out with him last week and give him a bottle of wine as a present... So anyway. Had my last day, with a good meeting at the end of it (and exercise of course). Then at night, despite my sickness, I went to Rockefeller Center to check out ice skating. I figured Monday night wouldn't be AS crowded, and I was right! I only waited like 10 minutes to get in, and I was at the start of the 8:30-10 slot. I paid a slightly obscene amount ($25) and got my skates. Went around the ice the first time, and thought I'd skate for like 5 minutes and be done! Was very shakey. Had some nice ladies on the side take pictures of me :-). Chatted with the lady from Miami and the Grandma from Vermont. But then I skated, and I got the hang of it. It was fabulous! I even danced a bit to the music and was able to dodge skaters who were really novice or bad. I got better and better as I went, and just enjoyed the holiday scene - being under the huge tree. Very magical. I skated until right before time was up, and didn't fall!... except on my very last go round, a boy ran into me from behind full force and took my legs out from under me. I was a little annoyed, but he said he was trying to avoid a baby. Oh well. So I had a great skating time! Then went home and decided to get comfort food for my cold. Went down to a cool homey place down the road - Chat and Chew. I had been there before, and sat at the bar again because the same bartender was there and we had fun chatting. So I had a fabulous chicken pot pie and hot cider and chatted with him about life, travel, living in Europe, football which was on TV. When he asked me what I do, I said "Computer Science". I got the regular answer - "You don't look like a Computer Scientist." I always figure it's because of the boobs that people say that, so I didn't expect different here. But he surprised me. He offer instead what I should be: A TEACHER! He said I had a pleasant face, a patient and friendly demeanor, a nice way of talking and listening. He thought I should be a teacher. So it's settled:
I AM MEANT TO BE A TEACHER BECAUSE THE BARTENDER TOLD ME SO!
I was surprised that he got me pretty quickly. It was refreshing :-). And of course, now that I was leaving New York, I found a friend. But finally I did have to go home and pack up the rest of my stuff! Which wasn't actually that bad. The next morning I took my box to be mailed to myself, and it was actually a nice bright day with even some snow flurries - ah. Got an everything bagel as my last New York meal :-). And said goodbye to the Empire State Building. My kooky roommate actually helped me bring all my suitcases downstairs to get the Super Shuttle. She wasn't so bad after all :-). Always somehow I had unexpected help just when I needed it in New York :-).
On the way out (after delays because of weather), I had a magnificent view of Manhattan, my city. It was time to leave, but she was still beautiful and I watched the view until I couldn't anymore. All the tall buildings, and the Empire STate Building and the Chrysler building. And Central Park. So beautiful. And I loved how when the plane got exactly north of the city, all the avenues were strips of either red, white, or red and white lights. Cracked me up that not only could you see exactly which avenues were one way north or south, but that the grid was obvious from the sky. So, I said goodbye to New York. I actually went Tuesday to Chicago, which was having a huge snow storm. It was beautiful in Chicago - all white. I spent the evening there hanging out with Naveen, actually. We had a nice time. That is all I'll say here, but if you want more information, talk to me in person :-). Then I stayed with my aunt that night, and winged off to Austin Wednesday (with more delays).
So, I got home to Austin! You already know I cried when I got here. I was emotional :-). I was met by good friend Negin who gave me a ride home. Then the first thing I wanted to do was go to Kung Fu, so I did (despite my cold). And I got a Cheers welcome when I went! "Jenn!" Got tons of hugs and "How was New York?"s. Maybe that's why I wanted to go there :-). It was fabulous to be back and with friends. I went to advanced Kung Fu class, and the warmup kicked my butt, but I was so into the regular class. My body just said "yep, I remember this" and loved it. Fun. I'm still a black sash! Then went to dinner with Tom, Mary, and Mary's daughter Daria at Hyde Park. So fun to be with friends again - my family here! They were so appreciative of me. And I them. You know the saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? Well, totally true here. Totally.
Thursday I went to school and I couldn't get a free 20 minutes! So many nice visits from friends, and welcome backs! And invites to do stuff... Good times. In the afternoon I went swimming - yay back to swimming! - with 2 friends in the CS department. They go twice a week, and now I'll join them. And let me just say, Austin is warm and sunny and beautiful. Even though I didn't remember my room exactly, the city itself is familiar to me, even if it takes a minute to recall :-). So we swam outside in warm weather - 80 degrees! - and I swam A MILE! With the cold! Was so impressed by myself. :-). Love being back to swimming. Of course doing a mile took me 54 minutes, but it was good. Then went out to dinner with Maria and caught up. Talked about eating healthy and doing fun adventure multi-sport races and all. Life is good again :-). And I ate Tex Mex - yay! Then afterwards I was excited to go grocery shopping! And do a load of laundry! :-). It became easier :-).
Friday went into school again. Went out to lunch with good friend Harry and had fun catching up. It's interesting to hear where friends are - what has changed. And how people more more towards graduation. No - people can't leave! And what's up with (not Harry) people having babies?! Wigging me out. People growing up and all. But good times. Got some work done that afternoon, then went to the gym. Then home to be ready for dinner with friends Justin, Carol, Negin and Greg! We tried a new Greek place, and had fun catching up. I talked a lot - told them about my research sagas. Felt slightly bad about being all jaded about things, but that's how it is I guess. It was nice to just have friends who listen again :-). Then we went and did a fun craft project at Negin's while waiting for a party to begin. We went to a party late - probably didn't get there until close to midnight. So stayed late there, and didn't get a lot of sleep Friday night. But the party was fun! Saw some old friends, but 1/2 the CS people I didn't know. Feel old school :-). Drank some champagne and hot cider (spiked) and saw people do the mentos and diet Coke trick, and try to shoot champagne corks farther. So, pretty fun.
Saturday I had to get up a little early to go hiking - but the hike was great! I wore pants and was hot - it was a nice sunny day. Went to Pedernalles Falls - beautiful area. Nice little creeks and springs to take breaks next to, and a nice trail with bright green bushes around. Some nice views as we hiked on the side of a hill and could see across the hill country beyond. So much space here! And so pretty! Saw the big river too - just calm, quiet and nice hike. Then came home and got ready for dinner with a Kung Fu friend. Hadn't really hung out with him outside of class before, but he's been a good friend to me. And we had fun catching up at Kerbey Lane! Talking about relationship stuff and Kung Fu of course :-). He's really into self-awareness, and improving oneself and giving off good energy, being supportive. It was nice. Then went to join his friends for "Golden Compass" movie which was cool adventure movie, but basically ended making you wait for the next movie where the saga continues. So we went to Spiderhouse and I met some of Alan's friends there. They are all people who meditate and give off friendly, good vibes. Neat people. Really like giving off positive vibes, and bettering oneself, so it felt good. I'm working towards understanding, and it's all good :-).
Today - Sunday. More time with friends! Slept a lot, but then got up and went to lunch with Mary from Kung Fu who is just an awesome person. We chatted a lot, and she's so good at understanding. Again, loved :-). And now I'm enjoying doing laundry at home! Funny that. It's always the small things :-). Eventually I will have to clean up my cyclone of a room...
So, that's my saga! I'm home and loving it. And the adventures, except of a different nature, continue. Happy December all!
*Love*
I love my city
And I love me. For whatever craziness is swirling around me cannot stop my self-growth that I've been going through for the last year plus. That is mine, and I embrace it and am proud of it. I have never felt more me. And I know I'm not done yet. More awareness, more amazement at people and myself, more knowing myself. And finding some peace, finding happiness. It's tough, but I'm in the right place - the right mindset. All is growth. Yay :-).
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Home.
There is much to tell, but not right now. Right now I am home. Home at last. Thank God almighty I am home at last.
And yes, I did cry upon landing in Austin. My home.
And yes, I did cry upon landing in Austin. My home.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Awesome Last Week
So I've been bad about blogging lately, but needed to say I've had an absolutely great last week in the city! So much fun. But let me tell you - I can't do LESS THAN 40 temperature wise. Brrr. Maybe I don't have the right clothes, but my limbs really don't work as well when it's in the 30s (or 20s!). But... I did get a treat yesterday: SNOW!! I woke up and walked outside to a beautiful snow storm, and a layer on everything. Very pretty send off :-). Yes, I have pictures... need to post them.
So, here are highlights of my last week in New York:
Tuesday: Fabulous dinner with old friend Holly. Again having a lot in common about traveling, relationships, family. So fun to re-connect! And with some trouble, got my bag back after they lost it on the way back from Thanksgiving.
Wednesday: Had going away lunch at work - Indian food. Then home early to catch the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center! THAT was crazy - being stuck in a huge crowd of people seeing a small part of the tree, waiting in the cold for 2 hours while hearing famous people sing, then instantaneously the lights came on and we were out of there! Funny to wait that long for a tiny thing. I could go now and see the lights lit up :-). But it was an experience - a NY experience. Most things here involve a mob of people. But at least they are used to it.
Thursday: Good day at work, then leaving for modern dance show by old company "Alvin Ailey"! Went with carpool guy to Greek place in midtown before the show - we got appetizers, but they were fantastic! I loved the pan-friend cheese and the spanikopitas :-). Then the show itself was fantastic - amazing bodies those people. Good music, good energy, neat costumes - all a good night!
Friday: Final presentation at work that went well. I made people laugh :-). Had free night in the city - my luck at finding dinner wasn't so good though - ended up with pizza. Went to Grand Central to hear Yale's glee club, but that was short-lived, so hurried back down to Union Square to see movie "Enchanted". I liked that it was set in Manhattan and I recognized everything. Story was good, but I guess it was too story-book, predictable, perfect ending for me. I thought I'd like it, but I wasn't that satisfied...
Saturday: Cold day in the city! Was around freezing... Headed out and got a pumpkin muffin at the Farmer's Market, plus an apple cider donut and apple cider :-). Yum. Then walked around the Christmas Market booths - there were many of them! - shopping for people's Christmas gifts. I think I got them all - and some treasures! Fun stuff :-). Then headed home and went for my last bike ride in the city. Was really cold - needed different clothes, but I made it up to Central Park (going by Macy's windows) and around the park - 5 mile loop instead of the usual 6 this time. Was happy to be in the park, but man is cold painful. I really felt uncomfortable at times. And of course on the way there and back had to pray to taxis not to kill me. On the way back, I stopped at the discount booth in Times Square for tickets to Avenue Q!! Despite the line being long and me almost getting in trouble for having my bike in line with me (ladies in front of me defended me), I made it and got a great ticket. Yay! So then rode home while the sun was setting with my face red and chapped and me freezing. Actually rode to the bike shop where they boxed up my bike for me, which I then mailed back to Austin! And took the hottest, most satisfying shower - yay :-). Then headed uptown again for dinner and the show. Ate again at my favorite Afghan kabob house. Guy there even missed me :-). Gave me free dessert again... Had some tasty lamb and okra and their bread is awesome! Then to Avenue Q! Great show - slightly offensive, actors were great, puppets were great - good show all around :-). I bought the soundtrack for the funny songs. Then headed down to meet my softball friend Mo at a bar for the last time... He was sad to see me leave. We enjoyed a couple of beers, then I headed home in the f@#*ing cold weather! Couldn't feel my legs when I got home... Yes, 25 is too cold.
Sunday: Woke up to beautiful snow :-). At least there's a reason for the cold that way! Went to brunch with friend Collin who got me tickets for the music shows at the club a couple weekends ago. Hadn't met him before, but he was a really nice guy - easy to talk to and fun! He's a nerd (gamer), even though he's into music, and he loves food and does Kung Fu too! So we had enough in common. We ate brunch at a neat Southwest kind of place. Had bread with blue corn and jalapeno in it - bizarre. I had some good spicy scrambled eggs with goat cheese, biscuits, ham, and grits :-). Tasty. Fun times. There are cool people in this city! Then headed to Grand Central to check out their Christmas Market. I'm a sucker for these :-). Then hopped a train to go out to Westchester for my 2nd line bosses going away dinner for us Texans. Mentor Martin gave me a ride. There was snow out there too :-). It was fun just to hang out with my advisor and her family - I talked to her kids and played games with them - they are sweet. And the lasagna they made was tasty. An enjoyable night. Except I missed a train or so getting home, but made it and did some packing at home - fun times... Almost ready to go home!!!
Unfortunately I got sick last night. Was sneezing a bit, then felt bad last night, and woke up several times at night with a really sore throat. My voice is funny today and I'm a bit congested... Ugh. I hope it doesn't last :-(. But it doesn't matter - I'm here on my last day of work at IBM! Of course my carpool guy was sick, so I had to take the train on my last day :-(. But I made it and it'll be my last day physically here :-).
So hope I don't feel like crap for too long. Tonight I want to go by Rockefeller Center and try my hand at skating there hopefully :-). That's my last NYC thing to do. Then just finish packing! Exciting! Can't wait to go home to Austin - almost there baby :-). But - it is the end of an era. I can't say New York hasn't been challenging for me, but it has been an adventure. And sometimes we need to be challenged anyway. I'm proud of myself for making it, and I'm so grateful for the experience - for having had this opportunity. Wow, has it been amazing and eye opening and fun :-). And I've learned a lot about myself too. So, it will be with a sad wave that I say "Goodbye" to New York tomorrow - to the city that never sleeps - to my Empire State Building. I will always remember you...
So, here are highlights of my last week in New York:
Tuesday: Fabulous dinner with old friend Holly. Again having a lot in common about traveling, relationships, family. So fun to re-connect! And with some trouble, got my bag back after they lost it on the way back from Thanksgiving.
Wednesday: Had going away lunch at work - Indian food. Then home early to catch the lighting of the tree in Rockefeller Center! THAT was crazy - being stuck in a huge crowd of people seeing a small part of the tree, waiting in the cold for 2 hours while hearing famous people sing, then instantaneously the lights came on and we were out of there! Funny to wait that long for a tiny thing. I could go now and see the lights lit up :-). But it was an experience - a NY experience. Most things here involve a mob of people. But at least they are used to it.
Thursday: Good day at work, then leaving for modern dance show by old company "Alvin Ailey"! Went with carpool guy to Greek place in midtown before the show - we got appetizers, but they were fantastic! I loved the pan-friend cheese and the spanikopitas :-). Then the show itself was fantastic - amazing bodies those people. Good music, good energy, neat costumes - all a good night!
Friday: Final presentation at work that went well. I made people laugh :-). Had free night in the city - my luck at finding dinner wasn't so good though - ended up with pizza. Went to Grand Central to hear Yale's glee club, but that was short-lived, so hurried back down to Union Square to see movie "Enchanted". I liked that it was set in Manhattan and I recognized everything. Story was good, but I guess it was too story-book, predictable, perfect ending for me. I thought I'd like it, but I wasn't that satisfied...
Saturday: Cold day in the city! Was around freezing... Headed out and got a pumpkin muffin at the Farmer's Market, plus an apple cider donut and apple cider :-). Yum. Then walked around the Christmas Market booths - there were many of them! - shopping for people's Christmas gifts. I think I got them all - and some treasures! Fun stuff :-). Then headed home and went for my last bike ride in the city. Was really cold - needed different clothes, but I made it up to Central Park (going by Macy's windows) and around the park - 5 mile loop instead of the usual 6 this time. Was happy to be in the park, but man is cold painful. I really felt uncomfortable at times. And of course on the way there and back had to pray to taxis not to kill me. On the way back, I stopped at the discount booth in Times Square for tickets to Avenue Q!! Despite the line being long and me almost getting in trouble for having my bike in line with me (ladies in front of me defended me), I made it and got a great ticket. Yay! So then rode home while the sun was setting with my face red and chapped and me freezing. Actually rode to the bike shop where they boxed up my bike for me, which I then mailed back to Austin! And took the hottest, most satisfying shower - yay :-). Then headed uptown again for dinner and the show. Ate again at my favorite Afghan kabob house. Guy there even missed me :-). Gave me free dessert again... Had some tasty lamb and okra and their bread is awesome! Then to Avenue Q! Great show - slightly offensive, actors were great, puppets were great - good show all around :-). I bought the soundtrack for the funny songs. Then headed down to meet my softball friend Mo at a bar for the last time... He was sad to see me leave. We enjoyed a couple of beers, then I headed home in the f@#*ing cold weather! Couldn't feel my legs when I got home... Yes, 25 is too cold.
Sunday: Woke up to beautiful snow :-). At least there's a reason for the cold that way! Went to brunch with friend Collin who got me tickets for the music shows at the club a couple weekends ago. Hadn't met him before, but he was a really nice guy - easy to talk to and fun! He's a nerd (gamer), even though he's into music, and he loves food and does Kung Fu too! So we had enough in common. We ate brunch at a neat Southwest kind of place. Had bread with blue corn and jalapeno in it - bizarre. I had some good spicy scrambled eggs with goat cheese, biscuits, ham, and grits :-). Tasty. Fun times. There are cool people in this city! Then headed to Grand Central to check out their Christmas Market. I'm a sucker for these :-). Then hopped a train to go out to Westchester for my 2nd line bosses going away dinner for us Texans. Mentor Martin gave me a ride. There was snow out there too :-). It was fun just to hang out with my advisor and her family - I talked to her kids and played games with them - they are sweet. And the lasagna they made was tasty. An enjoyable night. Except I missed a train or so getting home, but made it and did some packing at home - fun times... Almost ready to go home!!!
Unfortunately I got sick last night. Was sneezing a bit, then felt bad last night, and woke up several times at night with a really sore throat. My voice is funny today and I'm a bit congested... Ugh. I hope it doesn't last :-(. But it doesn't matter - I'm here on my last day of work at IBM! Of course my carpool guy was sick, so I had to take the train on my last day :-(. But I made it and it'll be my last day physically here :-).
So hope I don't feel like crap for too long. Tonight I want to go by Rockefeller Center and try my hand at skating there hopefully :-). That's my last NYC thing to do. Then just finish packing! Exciting! Can't wait to go home to Austin - almost there baby :-). But - it is the end of an era. I can't say New York hasn't been challenging for me, but it has been an adventure. And sometimes we need to be challenged anyway. I'm proud of myself for making it, and I'm so grateful for the experience - for having had this opportunity. Wow, has it been amazing and eye opening and fun :-). And I've learned a lot about myself too. So, it will be with a sad wave that I say "Goodbye" to New York tomorrow - to the city that never sleeps - to my Empire State Building. I will always remember you...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thanksgiving: aka I love my Family
I have had a great Thanksgiving week this last week. It has been a wonderful change from New York – just what I needed. Sunny days in California; great exercise; good food; awesome company; and Family – people who understand me :-).
Highlights: running in Janelle’s huge-house acre-lot neighborhood; biking on Janelle’s awesome road bike*; hiking with Janelle around Stanford’s dish; playing tennis with Janelle; celebrating Janelle’s birthday with her and 9 others :-); playing Mah Jongg with Grandma; eating 2 fabulous dinner’s at Webster House where Grandma lives; helping cook (and eat) Thanksgiving dinner with Janelle; playing Pictionary with my family and getting whooped by the boys (Ken and Jeff); Thanksgiving dinner reprise; biking to Gram’s and gossiping with her over lunch; Sunday dinner with the whole family – our tradition; 9 hours of sleep per night; and last but not least: having turkey for 6 meals :-).
*Happy day! Janelle’s old road bike is just sitting in her garage. She hasn’t had the heart to get rid of it because although it’s older, it is a really nice bike and still in good shape. She was bullied into getting her new bike – the newer fancier model, but she couldn’t tell much of a difference with her old bike! So… she said I could have her old road bike – yippee!!! Such a treat – I’m so lucky. It’s a great quality bike, and now I’ll have clip-in pedals and a road bike to do triathlons with. So happy! She’s going to mail it to me in Austin :-).
So, to start at the beginning – I took the dryable laundry in on the way to work Monday. I decided I could do the non-dryable at Janelle’s so that I never had to actually GO to a laundromat again – woohoo! I also picked up a chicken salad sandwich from a deli and took pictures of “Jane Street” – makes me smile every time I go to work because it’s Grandma’s name. Then had a regular day at work, with my exercise of course. Home, then had a Cuban sandwich for dinner which was tasty. While waiting for takeout these 2 guys at the bar flirted with me and talked to me. They were from Venezuela originally, but had been living in Florida and had just moved to New York (temporarily). So we had some things in common :-). One was cute, his friend though was drunk and less cute. I had fun chatting – he said to come back before Saturday, but alas I was going out of town. I guess Saturday he was moving back to Florida. Just when I was making connections! Anyway – stayed up late packing, but with great anticipation.
Tuesday – had to leave home at 9am to get to Newark. Although I had to lug my bag down 2 Aves and 2 Streets, take a subway, then a commuter train, then an airport tram – it was pretty slick :-). I made it. Got there around 10:30 for my noon flight. Actually although my flights were long, they were event-less and surprisingly on time for holiday travel! Guess I beat most people :-). I slept, did work, wrote emails, read. Great thing about this free Starbucks month of internet – tmobile is also in most airports – nifty! I went through Dallas which is part of what made the day so long. But I teared up because it was Texas… I was like “Ah, I promise I’ll be back soon!”. God, it’s time to go home :-). But I made it and gained time (going west), and made it only slightly late to my Aunt’s birthday dinner at her house! The lateness was due to an annoying and slow shuttle driver. And dinner was informal – Chinese food. But there were 11 of us :-). Normal day at Janelle’s house. I was overcome with happiness upon arrival – hugged everyone, even my cousin’s wife’s Mom. People I know, who know me! Family! Non-New York! Yay :-). I realized quickly that everyone had their own life around me, but that just gave me some time to myself to relax too. No shortage of things going on there though :-). Janelle opened presents, and we had a wonderful Chocolate Crème Brulee ala Jeff, my cousin. It was fantastic :-). Great way to start a vacation!
Wednesday I got up and ran around the fancy rich neighborhood (after lots of sleep). I felt free – it was in the 60s and sunny and beautiful. I can’t really complain when visiting Janelle. She is a great cook, gives me free time to do my thing, includes me on family things, always has a stocked kitchen, and makes me feel at home :-). She lives the good life too – not working, but doing fun activities and exercise almost everyday, plus lots of good wine at night :-). I love my family. Anyway – after lunch Janelle dropped me off at Grandma’s where Gram had set up a Mah Jongg game with her friends. She’s been teaching me to play with these awesome tiles from China (beautiful) that used to be HER Grandmother’s!! I think I inherit them – they are beautiful. And it’s such a fun game. There are some weird intricacies that I have to be reminded of, but it’s mostly like Gin Rummy which is so fun. I love games. So then Gram and I just visited the rest of the afternoon – talking about family, gossiping, telling stories. She asked me about my life – and I love that my family knows me enough to ask the real questions. I am open – I answer everything :-). And she told me neat stories about her life, moving around in the air force, and even Grandpa wooing her way back when! Love that :-). My Grandma is so sweet and kind and selfless and just lives for her family. She’s my favorite person in the world :-). So after visiting, we go down for a nice Webster House dinner. Awesome fresh warm soft rolls, soup, salad, entrée, and dessert for every meal. And pretty healthy too! This time the entrée was chicken with some veggie – can’t remember. And dessert was odd – a spice bread with sweet-marinated pears. But overall tasty :-).
Then Thanksgiving! I was in my pajamas most of the day helping my Aunt cook. Ok, I didn’t do too much (she’s so organized, my aunt). But we talked a lot and hung out – it was great fun. In the afternoon I decided to go for a bike ride and borrowed Janelle’s nice bike – a road bike with clip-in pedals! Ok, I didn’t clip in, but it had the low handlebars and everything. Took a bit of getting used to, but it was really fun to ride! And I went around another really cute woodsy neighborhood where tons of people were out walking around on Thanksgiving. Just put a smile on my face :-). And cute houses… So came back and had a great Thanksgiving meal – this time w/o my cousin’s family so it was just Aunt Janelle, Uncle Ken, Gram and me. But we had great things – cranberry salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, stuffing, rolls – I think that’s it. Then we had an apple tart for dessert – I helped with that. Although we also had a sweet potato pie a friend of Ken’s had brought over which was pretty tasty! Although I always love the apple things :-). So, nice quiet evening – I think we watched a neat Netflix movie with Scarlett Johansen and Helen Hunt – “A Good Woman”.
That night I finished my book – The Kite Runner. I read faster toward the end because it was really interesting. It is a FABULOUS book and I highly recommend it. A poignant story, and neat to hear about another culture and country (Afghanistan). So go read it if you haven’t! Love good books :-).
Ok – Friday entailed another run around the neighborhood on a sunny day. I could really get used to this idle time – sleeping a lot, exercising, eating a lot :-), playing games! Fun times. Then I borrowed Janelle’s bike again and biked the 3 or 4 miles to Grandma’s house!! We had leftover turkey together for lunch, and did more visiting and gossiping. Again, my Grandma is awesome and fun to hang out with. I had to leave before it got dark with the bike, so I left around 4 to get back to Janelle’s. Turns out the gang came over for Thanksgiving dinner reprise – Jeff, Michelle, Paola (Michelle’s Mom), and their boys – Luke and Hazen. Big crowd, but fun. And of course the food was all good again :-). That’s when we played Pictionary. So fun – love games! We randomly picked teams, but Jeff and Ken ended up together which was a mistake. I was with Michelle and Paola and Janelle were together. Let me just say Ken and Jeff are VERY intelligent and both awesome at games. They shouldn’t have been put together. Us other teams were 1/4 of the way through the board when they zoomed ahead, getting clue after clue, and basically won without us moving again at all. It was fun overall, and we had some laughs, but never again with the boys together! Some good almost clues: “smoking a bone” and something about tits that Ken said :-). Fun times.
Saturday was good, again. I hung out for the morning, then Janelle and I played tennis! I had brought my racket and was happy to play, although of course I sucked from lack of practice. I need to be more consistent! I only got 1 game off of Janelle in 2 sets. She was playing well. But it was a beautiful day, great to run around the courts again. Being on a tennis court does something to me – it’s like “I belong”. A confidence booster automatically! Then we basically got ready and went to hang out at Gram’s for the afternoon. We played some fun games – Rummikub and Sequence. And chatted. Then Janelle and Ken and I joined Gram for another great dinner at Webster House. This time we had salmon and spinach – yum. And Ken raved about their apple and fennel soup. And the dessert was only ok – strawberry baked Alaska. But another fun night at Webster House! And we watched Ocean’s Thirteen back at home, although I missed 1/2 hour of it – my eyelids were more interesting.
And Sunday – last day! I did work for the morning while Janelle played her weekly tennis game. Then we had a quick lunch and headed out for a brisk hike! The trail was paved, but it was we thought around 6 miles. It was surrounded by grass with cows, and trees. Felt pretty rural for being close to Stanford and a populous area. Neat views :-). But it was nice to just get out and hike and stretch my legs (despite right knee pain which I think is a pulled muscle). And of course – Janelle and I had a great hour and a half around the loop to talk :-). I love my family. We had good conversations – about life, cooking, managing things, kids, biking in other parts of the world, friends, priorities. It was fun to chat with her :-). Good to talk. And we talked about Grandma’s upcoming 90th birthday celebration next June. Anyway – I felt close to her and just happy. Exercise and good company – what more could I ask for? Then we came home and got ready for Sunday dinner! A tradition in my family – everyone gathers for a nice Sunday dinner. When I was little we always used to gather at Grandma’s house. Janelle had broccoli, a pear, cheese, walnut salad, and turkey burgers. Everything was tasty. Oh yeah – and the cheese and olive and mushroom empanada appetizers – yum. And wine of course. Everything was delicious! And of course the company – with Jeff’s family – was great. Fun times. And we had a surprised yummy dessert – Jeff cooked a peanut butter and chocolate tourtine (sp?). Very rich and beautifully plated and awesome :-). A definite treat for me!
Hope Gram had a good time – I know visits mean a lot to her. It was great to be able to see her everyday! And spend some quality time with her :-).
So today – went for my last run around the neighborhood (although my knee was hurting – ugh). It was chillier this morning, although still sunny. I could see my breath in clouds! And then came back, got ready, packed, and pretty much had to leave for the airport! Another long day back, but not too painful. It’s easy to keep myself busy :-). But will get home late…
And yes, there was some loneliness and overeating. But on the whole – a fabulous relaxing holiday which was just what I needed.
So family is awesome. Particularly my family. To me family is everything – closer than friends (although I’m working on it). I am close with them and we are similar. I could go to any of my aunt’s houses and have an awesome time. And to my 13 cousin’s houses too, although I know some of them less well. But we are all awesome and good people. And I am glad we are close – they have made me who I am – my whole family structure and culture. Of course my Mom had a big hand in that of course, but I’m saying it’s just who my family is – how my Grandma and Grandpa raised the 4 girls. We are close, and all well-educated, and all know “the good life”. My Grandpa’s famous quote. So I realize while my family doesn’t know what I do day-to-day, they KNOW me. They know who I am from the inside. Because I am them. We understand each other’s interworkings, and ways of operating and organizing and thinking because we are similar. And that’s comforting! Maybe disturbing too :-). But for me it was a breath of fresh air. With friends there is always an adjustment period – getting used to each other’s habits, or finding each other’s limits or tolerances. I know where I am with my family. And they know me. And we are just automatically close because of that even if we don’t talk very often. It’s very neat that way. And I noticed things Janelle does that are just like my Mom. Or me. We are all control-freaks :-). And you don’t have to explain your view of the world or explain you are genuine. She knows. She knows you like wine with dinner. Our models are similar :-). And that’s comforting. So even though I wasn’t going home to Mom’s house, I still felt some level of just happy comfort and understanding being at Janelle’s. And maybe THAT is what I am thankful for this year :-).
And thankful I’m only in New York 1 more week baby! Austin – I’m coming home soon :-).
Highlights: running in Janelle’s huge-house acre-lot neighborhood; biking on Janelle’s awesome road bike*; hiking with Janelle around Stanford’s dish; playing tennis with Janelle; celebrating Janelle’s birthday with her and 9 others :-); playing Mah Jongg with Grandma; eating 2 fabulous dinner’s at Webster House where Grandma lives; helping cook (and eat) Thanksgiving dinner with Janelle; playing Pictionary with my family and getting whooped by the boys (Ken and Jeff); Thanksgiving dinner reprise; biking to Gram’s and gossiping with her over lunch; Sunday dinner with the whole family – our tradition; 9 hours of sleep per night; and last but not least: having turkey for 6 meals :-).
*Happy day! Janelle’s old road bike is just sitting in her garage. She hasn’t had the heart to get rid of it because although it’s older, it is a really nice bike and still in good shape. She was bullied into getting her new bike – the newer fancier model, but she couldn’t tell much of a difference with her old bike! So… she said I could have her old road bike – yippee!!! Such a treat – I’m so lucky. It’s a great quality bike, and now I’ll have clip-in pedals and a road bike to do triathlons with. So happy! She’s going to mail it to me in Austin :-).
So, to start at the beginning – I took the dryable laundry in on the way to work Monday. I decided I could do the non-dryable at Janelle’s so that I never had to actually GO to a laundromat again – woohoo! I also picked up a chicken salad sandwich from a deli and took pictures of “Jane Street” – makes me smile every time I go to work because it’s Grandma’s name. Then had a regular day at work, with my exercise of course. Home, then had a Cuban sandwich for dinner which was tasty. While waiting for takeout these 2 guys at the bar flirted with me and talked to me. They were from Venezuela originally, but had been living in Florida and had just moved to New York (temporarily). So we had some things in common :-). One was cute, his friend though was drunk and less cute. I had fun chatting – he said to come back before Saturday, but alas I was going out of town. I guess Saturday he was moving back to Florida. Just when I was making connections! Anyway – stayed up late packing, but with great anticipation.
Tuesday – had to leave home at 9am to get to Newark. Although I had to lug my bag down 2 Aves and 2 Streets, take a subway, then a commuter train, then an airport tram – it was pretty slick :-). I made it. Got there around 10:30 for my noon flight. Actually although my flights were long, they were event-less and surprisingly on time for holiday travel! Guess I beat most people :-). I slept, did work, wrote emails, read. Great thing about this free Starbucks month of internet – tmobile is also in most airports – nifty! I went through Dallas which is part of what made the day so long. But I teared up because it was Texas… I was like “Ah, I promise I’ll be back soon!”. God, it’s time to go home :-). But I made it and gained time (going west), and made it only slightly late to my Aunt’s birthday dinner at her house! The lateness was due to an annoying and slow shuttle driver. And dinner was informal – Chinese food. But there were 11 of us :-). Normal day at Janelle’s house. I was overcome with happiness upon arrival – hugged everyone, even my cousin’s wife’s Mom. People I know, who know me! Family! Non-New York! Yay :-). I realized quickly that everyone had their own life around me, but that just gave me some time to myself to relax too. No shortage of things going on there though :-). Janelle opened presents, and we had a wonderful Chocolate Crème Brulee ala Jeff, my cousin. It was fantastic :-). Great way to start a vacation!
Wednesday I got up and ran around the fancy rich neighborhood (after lots of sleep). I felt free – it was in the 60s and sunny and beautiful. I can’t really complain when visiting Janelle. She is a great cook, gives me free time to do my thing, includes me on family things, always has a stocked kitchen, and makes me feel at home :-). She lives the good life too – not working, but doing fun activities and exercise almost everyday, plus lots of good wine at night :-). I love my family. Anyway – after lunch Janelle dropped me off at Grandma’s where Gram had set up a Mah Jongg game with her friends. She’s been teaching me to play with these awesome tiles from China (beautiful) that used to be HER Grandmother’s!! I think I inherit them – they are beautiful. And it’s such a fun game. There are some weird intricacies that I have to be reminded of, but it’s mostly like Gin Rummy which is so fun. I love games. So then Gram and I just visited the rest of the afternoon – talking about family, gossiping, telling stories. She asked me about my life – and I love that my family knows me enough to ask the real questions. I am open – I answer everything :-). And she told me neat stories about her life, moving around in the air force, and even Grandpa wooing her way back when! Love that :-). My Grandma is so sweet and kind and selfless and just lives for her family. She’s my favorite person in the world :-). So after visiting, we go down for a nice Webster House dinner. Awesome fresh warm soft rolls, soup, salad, entrée, and dessert for every meal. And pretty healthy too! This time the entrée was chicken with some veggie – can’t remember. And dessert was odd – a spice bread with sweet-marinated pears. But overall tasty :-).
Then Thanksgiving! I was in my pajamas most of the day helping my Aunt cook. Ok, I didn’t do too much (she’s so organized, my aunt). But we talked a lot and hung out – it was great fun. In the afternoon I decided to go for a bike ride and borrowed Janelle’s nice bike – a road bike with clip-in pedals! Ok, I didn’t clip in, but it had the low handlebars and everything. Took a bit of getting used to, but it was really fun to ride! And I went around another really cute woodsy neighborhood where tons of people were out walking around on Thanksgiving. Just put a smile on my face :-). And cute houses… So came back and had a great Thanksgiving meal – this time w/o my cousin’s family so it was just Aunt Janelle, Uncle Ken, Gram and me. But we had great things – cranberry salad, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, stuffing, rolls – I think that’s it. Then we had an apple tart for dessert – I helped with that. Although we also had a sweet potato pie a friend of Ken’s had brought over which was pretty tasty! Although I always love the apple things :-). So, nice quiet evening – I think we watched a neat Netflix movie with Scarlett Johansen and Helen Hunt – “A Good Woman”.
That night I finished my book – The Kite Runner. I read faster toward the end because it was really interesting. It is a FABULOUS book and I highly recommend it. A poignant story, and neat to hear about another culture and country (Afghanistan). So go read it if you haven’t! Love good books :-).
Ok – Friday entailed another run around the neighborhood on a sunny day. I could really get used to this idle time – sleeping a lot, exercising, eating a lot :-), playing games! Fun times. Then I borrowed Janelle’s bike again and biked the 3 or 4 miles to Grandma’s house!! We had leftover turkey together for lunch, and did more visiting and gossiping. Again, my Grandma is awesome and fun to hang out with. I had to leave before it got dark with the bike, so I left around 4 to get back to Janelle’s. Turns out the gang came over for Thanksgiving dinner reprise – Jeff, Michelle, Paola (Michelle’s Mom), and their boys – Luke and Hazen. Big crowd, but fun. And of course the food was all good again :-). That’s when we played Pictionary. So fun – love games! We randomly picked teams, but Jeff and Ken ended up together which was a mistake. I was with Michelle and Paola and Janelle were together. Let me just say Ken and Jeff are VERY intelligent and both awesome at games. They shouldn’t have been put together. Us other teams were 1/4 of the way through the board when they zoomed ahead, getting clue after clue, and basically won without us moving again at all. It was fun overall, and we had some laughs, but never again with the boys together! Some good almost clues: “smoking a bone” and something about tits that Ken said :-). Fun times.
Saturday was good, again. I hung out for the morning, then Janelle and I played tennis! I had brought my racket and was happy to play, although of course I sucked from lack of practice. I need to be more consistent! I only got 1 game off of Janelle in 2 sets. She was playing well. But it was a beautiful day, great to run around the courts again. Being on a tennis court does something to me – it’s like “I belong”. A confidence booster automatically! Then we basically got ready and went to hang out at Gram’s for the afternoon. We played some fun games – Rummikub and Sequence. And chatted. Then Janelle and Ken and I joined Gram for another great dinner at Webster House. This time we had salmon and spinach – yum. And Ken raved about their apple and fennel soup. And the dessert was only ok – strawberry baked Alaska. But another fun night at Webster House! And we watched Ocean’s Thirteen back at home, although I missed 1/2 hour of it – my eyelids were more interesting.
And Sunday – last day! I did work for the morning while Janelle played her weekly tennis game. Then we had a quick lunch and headed out for a brisk hike! The trail was paved, but it was we thought around 6 miles. It was surrounded by grass with cows, and trees. Felt pretty rural for being close to Stanford and a populous area. Neat views :-). But it was nice to just get out and hike and stretch my legs (despite right knee pain which I think is a pulled muscle). And of course – Janelle and I had a great hour and a half around the loop to talk :-). I love my family. We had good conversations – about life, cooking, managing things, kids, biking in other parts of the world, friends, priorities. It was fun to chat with her :-). Good to talk. And we talked about Grandma’s upcoming 90th birthday celebration next June. Anyway – I felt close to her and just happy. Exercise and good company – what more could I ask for? Then we came home and got ready for Sunday dinner! A tradition in my family – everyone gathers for a nice Sunday dinner. When I was little we always used to gather at Grandma’s house. Janelle had broccoli, a pear, cheese, walnut salad, and turkey burgers. Everything was tasty. Oh yeah – and the cheese and olive and mushroom empanada appetizers – yum. And wine of course. Everything was delicious! And of course the company – with Jeff’s family – was great. Fun times. And we had a surprised yummy dessert – Jeff cooked a peanut butter and chocolate tourtine (sp?). Very rich and beautifully plated and awesome :-). A definite treat for me!
Hope Gram had a good time – I know visits mean a lot to her. It was great to be able to see her everyday! And spend some quality time with her :-).
So today – went for my last run around the neighborhood (although my knee was hurting – ugh). It was chillier this morning, although still sunny. I could see my breath in clouds! And then came back, got ready, packed, and pretty much had to leave for the airport! Another long day back, but not too painful. It’s easy to keep myself busy :-). But will get home late…
And yes, there was some loneliness and overeating. But on the whole – a fabulous relaxing holiday which was just what I needed.
So family is awesome. Particularly my family. To me family is everything – closer than friends (although I’m working on it). I am close with them and we are similar. I could go to any of my aunt’s houses and have an awesome time. And to my 13 cousin’s houses too, although I know some of them less well. But we are all awesome and good people. And I am glad we are close – they have made me who I am – my whole family structure and culture. Of course my Mom had a big hand in that of course, but I’m saying it’s just who my family is – how my Grandma and Grandpa raised the 4 girls. We are close, and all well-educated, and all know “the good life”. My Grandpa’s famous quote. So I realize while my family doesn’t know what I do day-to-day, they KNOW me. They know who I am from the inside. Because I am them. We understand each other’s interworkings, and ways of operating and organizing and thinking because we are similar. And that’s comforting! Maybe disturbing too :-). But for me it was a breath of fresh air. With friends there is always an adjustment period – getting used to each other’s habits, or finding each other’s limits or tolerances. I know where I am with my family. And they know me. And we are just automatically close because of that even if we don’t talk very often. It’s very neat that way. And I noticed things Janelle does that are just like my Mom. Or me. We are all control-freaks :-). And you don’t have to explain your view of the world or explain you are genuine. She knows. She knows you like wine with dinner. Our models are similar :-). And that’s comforting. So even though I wasn’t going home to Mom’s house, I still felt some level of just happy comfort and understanding being at Janelle’s. And maybe THAT is what I am thankful for this year :-).
And thankful I’m only in New York 1 more week baby! Austin – I’m coming home soon :-).
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